July 2 -- MANUEL NOT PANICKING ABOUT HAMELS

BY SCOTT LAUBER

ATLANTA -- So, over his past two starts, Cole Hamels has allowed 11 runs on 17 hits in 8-2/3 innings for an 11.42 ERA. In five starts since his five-hit, complete-game shutout June 4 at Dodger Stadium, he's allowed 44 hits in 27-2/3 innings and has a 6.18 ERA.

That's not good, obviously.

But Charlie Manuel isn't worried either. Manuel spent a good part of his afternoon watching pitch after pitch from Hamels' start here last night against the Braves and concluded that the problem was poor location. Too often, Hamels missed his spot, and when he did, he missed up in the strike zone. Major-league hitters hit those pitches, regardless of whether they're thrown by Hamels or, well, Adam Eaton.

"I couldn't tell a whole lot of difference in his pitching, really," Manuel said. "He was up. A lot of times when he missed, he missed up. That was the case. But his stuff looked to me like it was pretty good. I sat there and watched the whole time he pitched. His selection was good. I thought he made some real good pitches. It seemed like every one they hit, especially the fastballs and changeups, was up. That's kind of what I saw. It looked to me like his stuff was there. If anything, he was just missing. It goes back to his command.

"But I see the same guy. It's just a matter of him getting in a groove and getting going. What is he, 4-5? Believe me, it's just a matter of him getting it together."

Manuel indicated that Hamels' slow start could be attributed to his increased workload last year. Before last season, Hamels' career-high innings total in the majors was 183-1/3 in 2007. Last year, he threw 227-1/3 innings in the regular season, then 35 more in the playoffs.

That said, Hamels says he's healthy. Manuel and Rich Dubee haven't seen anything to make them think otherwise. So, before long, they expect that Hamels will be Hamels again, and on Manuel's list of worries (Jimmy Rollins' slump, Raul Ibanez's groin, a starting rotation that doesn't pitch enough and a bullpen that pitches too much), Hamels is barely a blip.

"This guy was used to throwing 180 innings. When he threw 262, or something like that, that's a jump," Manuel said. "Also, the season's longer, and his winter was shorter. The rest, during the winter, that comes into play. All that can affect you. All that's mental. It's a process of learning how to get through, if that makes sense. He had a long [2008] season to get to the end, and then, he had a short winter. That might have something to do with it. But also, when I look at it, I see the same guy that I've seen pitch good. I know he can pitch good. I don't worry about it. As long as long as healthy, I don't worry too much. I expect him to pitch a good game each time."

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Spoke by phone with Ruben Amaro Jr., and he insists Ibanez has not had a setback with his strained groin. Amaro said the reason Ibanez hasn't started playing is, quite simply, that he isn't ready yet. Groin injuries have a tendency to linger or worsen if they don't heal properly, so the Phillies want to be sure he's 100 percent before throwing him into a game.

"He's actually progressing real well, just not to the point where he's ready to go," Amaro said. "Just like hamstrings or any other muscle pull, you do not want to put a player at risk to have a setback. Frankly, his progress has been pretty steady, but you'll never know how he truly feels until he gets in a game, and even then, it'll be tricky."